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The Pas Huskies
The The Pas Huskies were a junior and intermediate team. The junior team was an independent (non-league) team in the 1934-35 MJHL Season. The Pas Huskies (NJHL) was a junior team in the NorMan Junior Hockey League from 1978 until 1985. The men's Intermediate 'A' Huskies played in the CRVHL (Carrot River Valley Hockey League) in the 1950s and 1960s. The league included teams from Saskatchewan such as the Kinistino Tigers, Tisdale Monarchs, Hudson Bay Junction, Nipawin Hawks and Melville Millionaires. The biggest star on the Huskies was captain Claude Kozik, who scored over 500 goals in his Husky career. He centered a slick-passing, high-scoring line which included Doug White and Richard 'Ticky' King. Other notables included coach Hal Wells, goalies Tommy French & Tommy Suchy, Merv Patterson, Larry Pearson, Roland "Goldy" Goldstrand, ex-Wembley Lion star in the British National League (and who later coached the Huskies), Red Armstrong, Ron Cox, Jack Giles, Lyn Marlowe, Ted Rock, Jack Kennedy (father of current Ontario politician Gerard Kennedy), Willie Ducharme, Gerry Rock, and the Mutz brothers, Dave and Len. Giles once scored two goals—both within the last two minutes of regulation time—from the red line on scorching, unscreened slapshots in a provincial playoff game against the Winkler Royals. Curt Giles, Jack's son, was a dazzling skater at age three and later had a good career in the NHL with Quebec and Minnesota. The Pas native Murray Anderson, however, was the first known locally-born player to make the NHL, with Washington Capitals in the 1970's. One of the most-naturally talented The Pas-born hockey (and baseball) players was Norm Engen, whose huge potential was wasted in his mid-teens by a knee-on-goalpost collision in a rink-rat pickup game. Another local talent Edgar Rivalin played left wing on the first line with the Huskies as a 15-year-old in 1961-62, displacing Ticky King occassionally; went on to junior hockey with St. Boniface Canadiens and then won a CIAU championship with the 1965 U of M Bisons where he was named to the second all-star team on defence before earning a four year hockey scholarship to Michigan Tech. Teams would travel to other towns for a weekend series in CRVHL league play. Since there was no TV in The Pas in those days, on road trips the Huskies would gear up in their hotel rooms, except for the skates, on Saturday night and watch as much of the telecast as they could, before leaving for their own game. The rinks were small, unheated and had only natural ice. High scores like 10-8, 12-6, etc were not uncommon. The Sunday afternoon games were often somewhat rougher than the previous evening; someone's feathers were likely to be ruffled from the earlier encounter. Especially if "Beast" Beskel was in the lineup for the Tisdale Monarchs. Doug White famously threw his half lemon at Beskel from the Huskies' bench during one memorable donnybrook. He missed. One fine Sunday afternoon, a particularly irate Husky fan threw a number of frozen oranges at a certain opposition player who had gone all 'Slapshot' and kicked a couple of Huskies—out of siight of the referee— the previous evening. The Huskies also hosted junior and touring oldtimers' teams en route to or returning from Flin Flon, including Price Albert Mintos when future New York Ranger Jim Neilsen was their captain and star; the Flin Flon Bombers when 15 year-old Al Hamilton was a perennial 5-game callup before he captained the Edmonton Oil Kings to a Memorial Cup win and went on to NHL and WHA careers with New York, Buffalo and Edmonton. The Huskies also hosted touring teams of ex-pros which touted the Bentley brothers, Max and Doug. Melville Jr. Millionaires came to town with future Philadelphia Flyer Bill Flett, junior scoring king Ed Lawson, speedster Gerry Korp and future Oakland Seals 50-goal man Dave Parenteau. Danny Johnson—who went on to a strong minor pro career, a couple of seasons in the NHL, and a good career in the WHA—came to town with the Flin Flon Jr. Bombers. Dave Rusnell of the world champton Trail Smoke Eaters played there with Prince Albert seniors. Don Donaldson and Dale Dixon played against the Huskies with Flin Flon intermediate teams. Former pro Gord Redahl played one season for the Huskies in 1970-71. The Huskies won the 1968-69 Manitoba Intermediate 'A' Championship Many of the Huskies listed above were also members of the The Pas Teepees baseball club, Polar League Champions in 1959. Category:Canadian ice hockey teams Category:Manitoba Junior Hockey League Category:Manitoba Intermediate Hockey